One Transman's visit to the Vagina Doctor

Hey everyone,

I know it has been 2 months since my last post, but I like to wait for inspiration. So far coming out as transgendered and furthermore beginning testosterone, I have encountered many social barriers, ie public restrooms, pronouns in the workplace, the search for a doctor - the list goes on - and as I encounter these things, I will do my best to update the stories on this blog.

The latest issue I would like to discuss today is about me and my vagina. My vagina and I go way back and I intend to keep my vagina for the duration of my life. I know that depending on how far you would like for your transition to go, some transmen do not feel this way about what is naturally between their legs. Some transmen even refuse to refer to it as a "vagina". Words like "manhole" begin to seep into their vocabulary and that is perfectly all right and maybe that's a topic for a future blog
What I'm trying to get at is that no matter how you feel about your vagina before, after and during transition, it is absolutely imperative that you continue getting regular pap exams and other vagina related check ups ESPECIALLY if you are sexually active.

So, it had been two years since my last exam and in that time I had legally changed my name, had been going by male pronouns for quite sometime and had been far enough along on T that I had the first showings of chin air (and not the I'm-a-fifth generation-Italian-female-therefore-some-chin-hair-chin hair but like....scruffy)

So, me and my chin hair get worried because now I need to find a gynaecologist who won't only make me feel okay with a stranger poking around down there, but be okay with that fact that I am transgendered. Now, due to the fact that I live under the poverty level and have NO health insurance, I turn my attention to Planned Parenthood. If you have never been there, they are an excellent resource especially for women and trans people who need access to sex education and affordable health care. There is some light paperwork in order to get on the sliding scale for payment, but low and behold there is a PLACE ON THE FORM under "Gender" for trans persons. Holla!

In no time at all, they had me scheduled to come in the following week and were able to get me in at 40% of the full cost of a visit based on my gross income.

So, I go to PP the next week and once I get in the room, get out of my binder, put on the paper dress and all that jazz, the doctor comes in to ask some questions before the examination. During this discussion she realizes that I have never been sexually active with a man. To my horror, she explains to me that I DON'T NEED AN EXAM.

As an aside - when I was 17 this same thing happened to me and my mom was absolutely livid. This is false information. It doesn't matter what your sex-life is or what your gender happens to be. Just like any other part of your body - if you have one, get it checked out. Cancer doesn't discriminate.


Knowing this situation and having a sister who developed polyps as a teenager I asked "Well, what about toys?"

She says, "Are you monogomous?"

I said "yes."

She says, "Is your partner clean?"

I say "yes."

Then she tells me I have nothing to worry about. Floored, I go on to mention my sister and she tells me that in order to get Cancer I first need HPV which can ONLY be transmitted through sex with a MAN.

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Regardless we proceed with the exam. When she is checking out my breasts she asks me if they have lessened in mass since I started testosterone. I tell her they hadn't since I had only been on it for 6 weeks. She then says flippantly, "Yea, I don't know anything about transgendered people." When all is said and done she tells me everything looks normal and she'll put through the tests "even though everything will most likely come back negative."

WOW.

So, a few days later I run into a friend who works for PP and I tell her what happened. She was pissed. A day later I get a call from the manager there who was so pissed off about what happened, that it warmed my heart. Evidently the doctor I landed was much older (I could see that) and new nothing about trans people and had some old fashioned ideas about what it takes to get HPV.

I mentioned that I found it strange that I had noted to them upon filling out the form that I was trans and wanted to make sure I was in an accepting environment and somehow landed the one doctor who would make me feel embarrassed about coming there.

I am happy to say that the Lexington Planned Parenthood branch manager had apparently reached the state level of their organization about this issue and they have implemented a training specifically geared around education on trans people for current and future staff.

I suppose the point of this post is to make sure you all know where to go to get yourself looked at. Many trans people get all their physicals done through their endocrinologists, but for me and many others, we need to seek other avenues.

AND NEVER, EVER, EVER LET A DOCTOR OR ANYONE ELSE TELL YOU THAT YOU DON'T NEED AN EXAM. YOU DO!

xo,
jackson